Chapter 1402: It all rests on these few! Where do they get such confidence?

Cosmic ships are virtually mandatory for every cultivator above the Starlight Rank.

However, the level of ship used varies with one's rank.

Generally speaking, an A-class cosmic ship is used only by Cosmic-level powerhouses, or even newly transcended Immortal Gods.

Cultivators below this level simply cannot afford one!

The vessel now appearing in the sky is clearly above A-class.

Yet the reported mission level was only Starlight Rank.

How could a Starlight Rank cultivator possess such a ship—if not a person of great influence?

"A Starlight Rank cultivator owning a ship like this? That's absurd!"

The young man snapped back to himself and gritted his teeth: "But they're landing so openly? Don't they fear being noticed?"

His concern was not unfounded.

The Holy Spirit Cult is deeply entrenched on Iron Meteorite; if they detect the Star Dome Academy's involvement,

they might vanish immediately—or even destroy evidence ahead of time.

But the middle-aged man merely shook his head lightly:

"This is an A-class cosmic ship—possibly even S-class.

At Iron Meteorite's technological level, such a vessel cannot be detected.

The young man was about to speak again, but at that moment, the cabin door of the Silver Moon Wings slowly opened.

The first to step out was a muscular young man.

He wore a dark gold battle suit; beneath his black short hair lay a cold, sharply chiseled face.

Most striking were his deep, abyss-like eyes, where faint dark golden lightning flickered.

His tall, slender frame stood as straight as a spear, radiating a palpable aura of overwhelming pressure.

Behind him came a stunning woman with hair like a silver waterfall.

She was a head shorter than the young man ahead, but her long, straight legs, hugged by her form-fitting battle suit, were especially eye-catching.

Her elf-like pointed ears protruded from the silver locks, her skin as luminous as moonlight.

Her eyes, like gray gems, glimmered with an air of noble, icy beauty that deterred direct gaze.

The third was a girl with fiery red hair tied into a high ponytail.

She wore an audacious leather battle suit; on her delicate oval face, her almond eyes burned bright as flames.

The last was a handsome young man clad in a pale black battle robe.

He was tall and slender, every gesture exuding elegant composure.

"This..."

The youth on the ground froze in shock.

He had never seen such figures—especially the leading man and woman.

The man stood tall and coldly handsome; the woman was beautiful beyond mortal measure.

"A Starlight Rank cultivator owning an A-class ship—surely they're no ordinary lot."

The middle-aged man said gravely, "Just the value of that ship alone probably equals several star systems!"

Indeed, all four exuded an unmistakable aura of distinction.

"Stop gawking. Prepare to welcome them.

Whether we complete our mission depends on these few."

Saying this, he strode forward quickly.

When Yueying retracted the cosmic ship into his space ring and descended with Xu Jingming and the others onto the mountain peak,

the group was already waiting there; the middle-aged man stepped forward first, bowing respectfully:

"Welcome, Your Highnesses.

I am Hughes, a peripheral member of the Eternal Star Alliance.

These are my two disciples, Dillen and Sya."

Though reluctant, Dillen and Sya followed suit and bowed.

"Hmm."

Xu Jingming gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the three.

Under his powerful spiritual sense, their ranks were instantly clear.

The middle-aged man, Hughes, was Starlight Fourth Rank.

The young man, Dillen, was Starlight Third Rank; the girl at the end was Starlight Second Rank.

As Xu Jingming assessed them, Hughes was also studying the group.

When he sensed their ranks, his heart skipped a beat.

Though Star Dome Academy prodigies cannot be judged by surface rank alone,

three Starlight First Rank and one Starlight Second Rank—was this strength too weak?

He had only listed a Starlight Third Rank demon in the mission details.

But that didn't mean only a Starlight Third Rank demon existed; Iron Meteorite likely harbored even stronger demons.

Yet it was too late now—they had already arrived.

He couldn't send them back, nor did he have the authority to do so.

So he bowed respectfully:

"Your Highnesses have endured a long journey—please rest at our outpost and review the intelligence we've gathered."

"Thank you for the trouble," Xu Jingming nodded.

Including Yueying, the group followed Hughes and soon flew away from the mountain region.

Viewed from space, the entire meteorite planet was crisscrossed with ravines, appearing extremely barren.

In fact, the opposite was true: because it produced D-class metals, the entire planet was exceedingly wealthy.

Xu Jingming's group followed Hughes and the others, quickly leaving the mountain region and entering the city.

It was night on the northern hemisphere of the meteorite planet, yet the entire city glowed with red lanterns and green wine, neon lights flashing everywhere.

Pedestrians filled the spaces between cities, appearing remarkably prosperous.

In Xu Jingming's view, even some modern cities on Blue Star were inferior to this place.

Of course, this was because Blue Star had only recently entered the interstellar age.

With Xu Jingming's reputation, in a few more decades, Blue Star would be entirely different.

"Meteorite Planet is a famous mineral world in the Scorpion Star System, primarily producing 'Xuan Star Iron,' a high-grade forging material.

The city we are in now is the capital of Meteorite Planet—'Xuan Star City'—where the Holy Spirit Sect has established its headquarters.

Outside is their headquarters.

Of course, this is merely the headquarters; in scale, they have actually infiltrated every corner of Meteorite Planet."

A low-profile extended limousine sped along the city roads.

The driver was an artificial intelligence; the car's seats held Xu Jingming and the others.

Now that they had entered the city, they naturally would not fly in such a conspicuous manner.

At this moment, Hughes in the seat was pointing out a region outside the window and explaining.

Xu Jingming and the others looked out the window and saw, towering before them, an immensely grand architectural complex, as if a sacred city standing apart from the bustling metropolis.

"The Holy Spirit Sect has taken root on Meteorite Planet for over two hundred years.

Publicly, it is a religious group promoting the 'Path of Eternal Life,' but in truth..."

Hughes flicked his finger, summoning a stream of data: "Each year, at least several hundred thousand believers vanish without explanation.

Over the years, we have detected residual demonic energy at multiple disappearance sites.

The concentration curves perfectly match the signature of demons after feeding.

We suspect... the Holy Spirit Sect is raising believers as food for demons, but we have never found conclusive evidence."

The disappearance of hundreds of thousands of people would not draw attention from the Eternal Star Alliance, or even from an entire planet.

It is the planet lord's affair.

As long as the planet lord is willing, and does not violate the baseline of the human race in the universe, there will be no punishment.

But if it involves alien races, it is entirely different.

"Oh? If so, why not directly ask the planet lord to assist in the investigation?"

Xu Jingming asked, puzzled.

After all, the Eternal Star Alliance wielded immense power.

Even as an outer member, ordering a planet lord was not particularly difficult.

With the planet lord's involvement, investigating such a force would be extremely simple.

"No."

Hughes shook his head and summoned a holographic portrait of a stern middle-aged man:

"This is the Meteorite Planet's lord, 'Morei,' a Star Level Five powerhouse.

He frequently attends Holy Spirit Sect events and publicly supports their activities.

I don't know whether he is aware of the demons' existence—I fear alerting them, so I've never asked him to assist in the investigation."

Xu Jingming nodded thoughtfully.

This situation was indeed unsuitable for involving the planet lord in the investigation.

Just as he was pondering his next move, the young man sitting beside Hughes, Dilen, muttered quietly:

"Coming here without even understanding these details—who gave you the confidence to take on this mission?"